CANTOR’S CORNER

Cantor Eyal Bitton shares a few thoughts on prayer and the parasha of the week.

2023-12-23 Parashat Vayigash

Lately, I’ve been watching reruns of Young Sheldon on Netflix. In the episode I’m watching now, there’s an 11-year-old girl named Paige who is experiencing personal turmoil for various reasons, including the fact that her parents have just gone through a divorce. Holding back tears, she tells young Sheldon, “I just wish that everything could go back to the way it was.” After a brief moment, she adds, “I don’t think it will.” (S3:E12)

This captures the Jewish people’s mindset today. Don’t we wish that everything could go back to the way it was before October 7? The tsunami of antisemitism is overwhelming. The existential threat to Israel and its repercussions are frightening. The prospect of an upcoming war with Hezbollah is unsettling. The fact that we are grappling with an uncertain future outside of Israel as well inside of Israel is disconcerting. 

The truth is that the antisemitism we’ve encountered since October 7 was there all along, even before October 7. It was less overt, and people were less comfortable expressing it. As a result, we were not as directly affected by it as we are now.

So, like Paige in Young Sheldon, I, too, wish that everything could go back to the way it was. But, like Paige, “I don’t think it will” either.

We are a people of memory. Our holidays are all based on remembering. Our Shabbat prayers also speak about memory and the past. In the Shabbat kiddush, we recall the creation of the world. In the Shabbat Amidah, we recall our ancestors. We recall the covenant made between our people and God. We also pray for the restoration of Zion. We lament the loss of the Temple and beseech God to restore us to these days of the past. When we return the sefer Torah to the ark, we ask God to “Chadesh yameinu k’kedem” (“renew our days as they once were”).

However, even though we ask for a return to the past in our prayers, we are a people who long ago learned to accept new realities and to move forward. We may long for yesterday, but we do not wallow in our sorrow. We are not so distraught that we are unable to forge ahead, even after the greatest calamities. No, the Jewish way has always been to live. The Jewish way has always been to persevere. 

This week’s parasha, Parashat Vayigash, highlights the themes of reconciliation and the acceptance of a new reality in the face of challenging circumstances. After years of separation, Joseph chooses to forgive his brothers for their betrayal. Instead of dwelling on past grievances, Joseph embraces the opportunity for reconciliation. He exemplifies the idea of moving on from past hurts.

We find ourselves in the wake of the October 7 massacre. We find ourselves in a period of turmoil and uncertainty. We find ourselves in the midst of people and institutions that support or excuse the most heinous atrocities committed against our people in 75 years. 

Our prayers hearken to an idyllic past. Our hearts may share that little girl’s sentiment of being able to “go back to the way it was.” Our minds understand, though, that the past is gone and that what we are really expressing is a criticism and disappointment in the way things currently are. 

When we pray for the to go back to the way it was, when we pray “chadesh yameinu k’kedem”, we are saying that our future is not going to remain the way it is today. We are saying that we understand the reality we are facing and that we reject the idea that this is the way it will remain. We recognize the changed world. We recognize the hate around us. We recognize the genocidal ambitions of various players. And we say no. No, we will not accept this hate and intolerance towards us as a permanent reality. We will persevere. We will live. We will overcome. We will thrive.